One of the Arizona Cardinals’ many free agents this offseason is linebacker Dennis Gardeck. Will he be back in 2021?
Gardeck is a restricted free agent, which means the Cardinals can place a tender offer that allows them to match any offer he might receive from another team. Depending on the tender, if they decline to match the offer, they could receive draft compensation.
A first-round tender would pay Gardeck an estimated $4.8 million in 2021. A second-round tender would pay him an estimated $3.4 million, while an original round tender would pay him an estimated $2.1 next season.
Gardeck had a special season. He was outstanding on special teams and also had a productive year on defense. He played defensive snaps for the first time in his career after moving from inside linebacker to outside linebacker.
In 93 defensive snaps, he had seven sacks, which is unbelievable production.
However, he tore his ACL late in the season and won’t likely be able to play until after midseason in 2021.
So what do the Cardinals do with him?
Of the three restricted free agents the Cardinals have, Gardeck is the one who makes the most financial sense to use a tender on. After all, he does more than just play special teams, and with a limited salary cap, it is hard to pay a special teams player more than $2 million. He offers pass-rushing production in sub packages.
However, the injury complicates things.
That said, even for half a season, using a tender makes sense. If he were to agree to a contract for less than that, say $1.5 million plus incentives that could get him to the $2.1 million or even more, it would be worth it. From his perspective, doing anything but a one-year deal doesn’t make sense, especially if he feels he can prove he can produce as a pass rusher again. That way, becoming an unrestricted free agent next year, he could cash in.
In the end, Gardeck likely will be a priority to keep. He won’t be the top of the list but I expect the Cardinals to tender him because of his defensive upside.
Gardeck’s 2021 return: Likely
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Latest show:
Previous shows:
and
